Friday, March 9, 2012

I’m not a huge dessert fan, so it was a little ironic that the first few things I ever cooked at culinary school were sweet, not savory. It was too long ago to remember why, but I think we divided the class into different groups for our lab times, and I just happened to be in the one that started with basic baking.

I distinctly remember sticky buns being the first recipe we did, but the second one was a pineapple upside-down cake. It’s such a cool recipe for a new culinary student, since it just looks like a simple, rustic fruit cobbler when it comes out of the oven, all browned and bubbling, but a few minutes later, when it’s turned over and that gloriously caramelized surface is revealed, it becomes so much more.

As I basked in the shiny glow of this iconic American dessert, not only did I feel like maybe I knew what I was doing, but I had edible proof sitting right there on the table. Of course, what I’m not telling you is that most of my pineapple slices stuck to the pan, and I had to piece it all back together before the chef came over to see my work, but all’s well that ends well.

I was actually kind of hoping that would happen here, so I could demonstrate how easy it is to simply put all your “puzzle pieces” back in place. So relax. Once the cake cools, no one will be able to tell the difference. As long as the syrup is warm, your reconstruction will be fine.

I may be in the minority, but I don’t like to top this with anything. Of course vanilla or coconut ice cream would be fine, or maybe a dollop of whipped cream, but for my tastes, “as is” works best. Anyway, I hope you give this classic pineapple upside-down cake a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for a 9-inch skillet:

For the pineapple base:

4 tbsp butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tbsp pineapple juice

1 tbsp dark rum

1/2 small pineapple, trimmed, sliced (see video below)

For the batter:

1/2 cup melted brown butter (works same w/ regular melted butter)

1 1⁄2 cups flour

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

1⁄2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1⁄2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1⁄2 cup milk

How to Prep a Pineapple

As Promised, here's a video on how to peel and slice a pineapple from my friends at Allrecipes. Enjoy!

I just made the pineapple upside down cake a couple of hours ago and it was so good. I loved the cardamom in it! I come from Somalia and our traditional cake is made with cardamom so my mum really liked it because of that.

Sweet Jesus, when I went to get the pan out of the oven I grabbed onto the goddamned metal handle even though it was practically glowing red. Hell of a desert though, the whole family agrees it was worth 45% of the skin on my right hand.

Just a hint: Williams Sonoma makes an awesome pineapple corer. You just cut the top off of the fruit, postion the tool over the core, twist and push and then pull out perfect pineapple rings. As a bonus, you can remove the core from the shell and you have a hollowed out pineapple in which to mix a kickass tropical drink.

It may be silly if it's just you, but it would be really silly (and make you a very bad host) to serve a dessert that would make your guests chew on tough fibrous pineapple core! That would not be appreciated.

Chef John, you're a genius. Made this today for our Easter brunch and it was a big hit. I had to sub nutmeg for cardamom (next time, cardamom), but it was still delish. I will never go back to cake mix/canned pineapple again.

I have had one host after another offer their "acclaimed" Pineapple Upside Down Cake made from canned pineapple and a yellow cake mix. I smile and thank them for the cake, all the while thinking, "Ho Hum another blah cake."

After making Chef John's Pineapple Upside-Down Cake I do believe I'm going to make a lot of "friends" really grumpy and jealous when I bring this flavor explosion to my next gathering. I'm looking forward to it :-)

I've had numerous hosts offer their "acclaimed" Pineapple Upside Down Cake. All made with canned pineapple and a yellow cake mix with perhaps a few "secret" additions. All with very limited taste appeal.

I do believe I'm going to create some jealous feelings at my next event because this recipe is to quote, Emrile, "BAM!" Chef John has one flavorful exploding cake going on here. As always...fresh is best!

Dear Chef John,Me and my girlfriend just made this but instead of making the cake version of this we made it in cupcake tins, the question that I have for you is how can we keep the caramel mixture from sticking to the cupcake tin other than that it turned out pretty good

I'm going to be making this for the first time tomorrow in a pan. How to I ensure successful flipping? Should I take it out of the oven, let it cool and then flip it? or should I flip it while it's hot?

Would that be GREEN Cardmom or BLACK Cardamom? ( have gournd green cardamom, but will have to grind my black cardamom with my microplane - either way, I am willing to do the work and hope I can do justice to this recipe of yours.

I'm making this right now... I always love pineapple upside down cake and this one seems to be a little easier than some recipes I've browsed... The butter is cooling right now! I will try this with fresh pineapple next time! I am using crushed pineapple; my family like it that way and I stuck in the cherries which are also a favorite... I can't wait to eat this! :)

My wife makes killer upside-down cake, and doesn't stick with pineapple. Rings of peach slices, and the spaces filled with blueberries, raspberries, and pineapple chunks, she has even used kiwi slices. The berries may burst, but that is fine; the flavor and beautiful color are there!

Great recipe John, everyone liked it except for one thing (mentioned all three times I made it, actually) which they thought it needed a thicker\less-crumbly cake bottom. Any thoughts on this? Perhaps add an extra egg and\or butter for the cake mix?